The preliminary assessment begins

As the first rays of sunlight shone into Xiao Yu's room, Xiao Yu awoke from his meditative state, got up, quickly washed up, and prepared to go out, for today was the start of the Alchemist Tournament.

With a soft creak, the door was gently pushed open, and a pretty figure walked in—it was Ya Fei.

For the past few days, Ya Fei had been able to smell the fragrance of pills emanating from Xiao Yu's room, and she had specifically instructed her maid not to go in and disturb him. However, today was the day she was to go to the Alchemist Headquarters, so Ya Fei came in person.

"Are you coming with me to the Alchemist Headquarters?" Xiao Yu asked Ya Fei with a smile after putting on his alchemist robes.

Ya Fei stepped forward, reaching out her delicate hand to straighten Xiao Yu's wrinkled collar, and said softly, "The Mittel Family is also among those invited to this Alchemist Tournament Alchemist Tournament, so I can go with you and see how you shine at the conference!"

Xiao Yu smiled and said, "You're that confident in me?"

"That's right, I'm very good at judging people!" Ya Fei said with a rather proud air.

Xiao Yu shook his head and put on the Ice Silk Mask. He then walked out of the room first, followed closely by Ya Fei. At the gate of Mittel Manor, when Elder Tengshan saw Ya Fei and Xiao Yu walking over together, he gave Ya Fei a meaningful look.

Ya Fei naturally noticed the Great Elder's teasing gaze, her pretty face flushing slightly. Teng Shan laughed heartily, "Good, good! I didn't expect Ya Fei to have someone she likes too, hahaha!"

Ya Fei blushed slightly at Teng Shan's teasing words, but Xiao Yu generously took Ya Fei's hand and chuckled, "Elder Teng Shan is probably going to lose a capable assistant in the future!" He then pulled Ya Fei directly onto the carriage.

Hai Bodong stood beside Teng Shan, glanced at Xiao Yu and Ya Fei, and although he was somewhat surprised, he didn't say anything. After getting into the carriage, they headed straight for the Alchemist Headquarters.

Fully armed knights are already patrolling some of the city's main streets. After all, such a grand event is of great importance to the entire Jia Ma Empire, and the Imperial Family must take precautions to prevent any unforeseen problems!

Because they were wearing the Mittel Family crest, Xiao Yu and his group arrived at the Alchemist Guild without any hindrance.

Xiao Yu stepped off the carriage and looked at the Alchemist Guild gate, which was noticeably more crowded than before. He shook his head helplessly.

Soon, he met up with Xiao Yan in a corner near the entrance. Ya Fei greeted Xiao Yan, then whispered in Xiao Yu's ear, "Let's go inside!"

Just as Xiao Yu was about to nod, a commotion suddenly broke out not far behind them. Xiao Yu turned his head and saw a carriage with an extremely noble air slowly approaching. On the golden brocade curtains around the carriage, there was a strange beast with blue flames rising all over its body.

That was the Imperial Family insignia. Standing beside Xiao Yu, Xiao Yan sighed softly, "As expected of the Imperial Family of the Jia Ma Empire, their strength is not to be underestimated!"

Xiao Yu chuckled and said, "Do you think the Jia Ma Imperial Family wouldn't have any strength? But we're not bad either, are we?"

Xiao Yan smiled confidently and said, "That's true. When it comes to alchemy, we're certainly not inferior!"

Under everyone's gaze, a slender, snow-white hand reached out and gracefully grasped the handle of the carriage door. Then, a beautiful figure slowly stepped out of the carriage.

The woman was dressed in a purple robe with silver trim, exuding an air of nobility. Xiao Yu narrowed his eyes slightly, thinking to himself, "This must be the Little Princess of the Jia Ma Imperial Family."

The Little Princess had a faint smile on her pretty face, appearing elegant and serene, but her watery eyes occasionally flashed with Gu Ling and quirky smile, like a little witch.

Soon after, a tall figure emerged from the carriage. The elderly man, dressed simply in a hemp robe, smiled and led the Little Princess into the Alchemist Guild.

Suddenly, the old man in the hemp robe glanced around and noticed Hai Bodong standing to the side, sneering at him. He pointed directly at Elder Hai and exclaimed in surprise, "You, you, you, you old bastard, you're still alive?"

Hai Bodong sneered, "You're not dead yet, so why would I leave first?"

"Great-Grandpa, do you know him?" the Little Princess asked, casting a curious glance at Hai Bodong.

This old man in hemp robes is none other than Elder Jia Xingtian, the current guardian of the Imperial Family!

Elder Jia snorted and said, "I know, I know that all too well. That guy is incredibly capable."

Elder Jia glanced around; it was crowded and noisy. He didn't say much, but looked at Hai Bodong and said, "Old man, shall we go in together?"

Hai Bodong naturally did not refuse, and the Imperial Family guards immediately cleared a path for Jia Xingtian and Hai Bodong to walk in side by side. The Little Princess glanced at Xiao Yu and Xiao Yan behind her, her gaze lingering for a moment on the Third-grade Alchemist badge on Xiao Yu's chest. Looking at his young face, the Little Princess couldn't help but be a little surprised!

However, she soon skipped and hopped towards the interior of the Alchemist Guild.

Ya Fei whispered in Xiao Yu's ear, "The Imperial Family has always been wary of our Mittel Family. Elder Hai disappeared for a while, so the Imperial Family lowered their guard against us somewhat. Now it seems that the Imperial Family will probably be wary of us again!"

Xiao Yu shook his head and laughed, "Don't worry, as long as you're strong enough, what are you worried about?"

Ya Fei smiled slightly and said, "That's true!"

Xiao Yan was somewhat surprised to see Ya Fei and Xiao Yu getting along so well, but he didn't have time to ask them now.

The group walked directly into the Alchemist Guild and headed towards the West District. The guards in the West District naturally let them pass.

As soon as Xiao Yu entered the West District, he saw Master Bulin walking towards him. "Xiao, Xiao Shi Yi, Yan Xiao, you two are just in time! I was just about to go talk to Otto and the others about something. Let's go together!"

Xiao Yu nodded slightly and said, "Okay!"

After saying goodbye to Ya Fei, he and Xiao Yan followed Master Bu Lin toward Otto's room.

Inside the room, Xiao Yu and Xiao Yan were looking at a list. Otto said, "This list contains some of the most promising contestants in this tournament. Take a good look at it; this is an internal document and cannot be leaked according to the rules!"

Xiao Yu and Xiao Yan nodded to indicate that they understood, and then began to look at the list. It listed twenty or thirty alchemists with considerable strength, including as many as fourteen Third-grade Alchemist.

Xiao Yan said, "The opponents are indeed very strong. Gu He's disciple Liu Ling and the Little Princess are both ranked very high. Brother Yu, you are ranked eleventh!"

Xiao Yu smiled upon seeing the ranking and said, "Perfect timing! My name is also Xiao Shi Yi, how fitting!"

Master Bu Lin and Otto looked at Xiao Yu, Otto couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you nervous at all?"

Xiao Yu said casually, "I'm nervous!"

"But you don't look nervous at all!" Master Bu Lin said with a smile.

Xiao Yu shrugged helplessly and said, "Nervousness doesn't necessarily have to be shown on your face. The most important thing is to stay calm. Being too nervous can actually make you more prone to making mistakes!"

Master Bu Lin and Otto exchanged a glance, both shaking their heads with wry smiles. That's easy to say, but putting it into practice is another matter entirely!

Otto stood up and said with a smile, "Next is the pre-conference prediction, which is basically the guild testing our judgment as recommenders. I am Yan Xiao's recommender, and Old Man Master Bu Lin is yours. We're going together this time. Come with me, you'll encounter formidable opponents in this conference!"